Governor mechanism



April 17, 1945. J. H. HOLLOWAY 2,373,584

' GOVERNOR MECHANISM Filed April 15, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR v gay/v 1 Hauowny ATTORNEYS:

April 17, 1945.

J. H. HOLLOWAY GOVERNOR MECHANiSM Filed April 15', 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 r-MIWFW" A I ,6 1 INVENTCIJR 4 Joy/v h. H044 9mm? Y U B AMMYAJM ATTORNEYS.

Patented Apr. 17, 1945 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GOVERNOR MECHANISM John H. Holloway, Green Bay, Wis.

Application April 15, 1942, Serial No. 439;091

11 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in governor mechanisms.

A major object of the invention is to provide a governor of great power and improved sensitivity of response, incorporating a power relay so organized that the governor weights themselves are relieved of most load and are thereby enabled to respond with accuracy to changes of speed. More specifically, it is proposed to provide a novel and improved organization for a governor of this type and one in which fluid pressure developed in th operation of the controlled prime mover is used to actuate the servo-motor of the power relay subject to governor control.

Another "important object of the invention is the provision of a manually operable regulating mechanism in which the speed for which the governor is set may be manually varied at will by changing the tension of the governor spring without, however, noticeably varying the tension or bias to which the manually operable parts are subject, these parts therefore tending to retain any adjusted position notwithstanding their function of varying the governor spring bias.

Other objects are generally to improve and simplify and render more compact a governor of the type specified, and to improve its functioning and operation and control as will be more fully apparent from the following disclosure of the invention.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic view of the governor installation.

Fig. 2 is a detail view on an enlarged scale showing the governor in vertical axial section.

Fig. 3 is a view of the governor in side elevation.

Fig. 4 is a side elevational view of the governor, illustrating the side opposite to that shown in Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a view of the governor in end elevation, with parts broken away.

Fig. 6 is a detail view taken in section on the line 6-6 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 7 is a detail view taken on the line 7-1 of Fig. 6.

Like parts are identified by the same reference characters throughout the several views.

The governor herein disclosed is particularly adapted to control the speeds of relatively heavy prime movers having speed controls which require substantial power for movement from one position to another. The governor may be used with steam, air, or internal combustion engines or electric motors, but one of my objectives is to employ in the power relay fluid pressure developed by the prime mover in its normal functioning, so as to avoid the necessity of providing any separate source of power. Therefore, by way of exemplifying its preferreduse, I have diagrammatically illustrated the invention applied to an internal combustion engine to derive power for its servomotor from the oil pump and lubrication system of such an engine.

In the diagrammatic showing of installation in Fig. l, a prime mover shaft it] drives the shaft H of the governor 1'2 and also drives the gear pump 13 which pumps lubricant from the sump I4 of the prime mover for the prime mover bearings typified by bearings l5 and i6. The'connection i! from the lubricating system of the prime mover to the governor 12 provides power for the servo-motor hereinafter to be described, and the surplus lubricant is returned through pipe l8 to the sump.

The regulating lever IQ of the governor is linked to a hand throttle lever 20 which may be set to any desired position to determine the speed atwh'ich the governor will maintain the prime mover in operation. The power output of the governor is delivered through a lever 2i and link 22 to the speed control lever 23, whatever that may be. In practice, it may involve a steam, air, or throttle valve, a timer, a Diesel fuel injector or a rheostat, to mention some of the possibilities.

The governor shaft I I, driven in some manner from the prime mover, carries a head 24 which provides pivots for the mounting of the governor weights 25 to permit such weights to oscillate radially outwardly as the shaft is rotated. Each weight comprises a bell crank having a finger 26 bearing upon the end of a sleeve 21. which is splined to the shaft for rotation therewith and for axial movement thereon responsive to the position assumed by the governor weights 25. The end of this sleeve seats against a thrust bearing comprising races 28 and 29. The race 29 is engaged at opposite sides of the shaft by the legs of a bifurcated lever 30 mounted on a rock shaft 3| which, as best shown in Figs. 3 and 6, is journaled transversely in the casing 12.

Externally of the casing the rock shaft 3| carries a lever 33 of adjustable length, connected by tension spring 34 to an anchorage 35 which is eccentrically mounted upon a control rock shaft 36. Conveniently carried by the spring anchorage 35, or otherwise connected to the rock shaft 36, is the control lever 19 which, as diagrammatically illustrated in Fig. l, is linked to some manuall operable part.

By rotating the rock shaft 36 by means of lever IS, the eccentric anchorage 35 is moved to vary the bias on spring 34 and thus to vary the opposition to movement of sleeve 21 axially of governor shaft H under the influence of the governor weights 25. Thus, it is possible to change the speed at which the sleeve 21 will respond to the centrifugal force acting upon the governor weights.

However, in thus changing the bias on the governor weights, a change would also be made in the bias on the manually operable controls were it not for the fact that the control shaft 36 is opposed as to its bias by another spring at 38 adjustably anchored at 39 and connected at its free end to an anchorage 40 which is eccentric on shaft 36 and so positioned with reference to the location of spring 38 as to tend in all positions of rock shaft 36 to offset the varying bias of spring 34. Thus, so far as the rotation of rock shaft 36 is concerned, the biasing effects of springs 34 and 38 are opposite. However, it will be apparent that the bias of Spring 38 has little effect on the functioning of spring 34 to vary the bias to which the governor weights are subject in the different positions of the rock shaft.

Because of the fact that the centrifugal weights operate the controlled part 23 through a servo motor, the weights need not have the weight which would otherwise be required and the spring 34 which opposes their centrifugal outward movement can be correspondingly light as compared with standard practice. While the opposed spring 38 may not completely balance spring 34 in all positions, the type of springs made possible through the use of a servo motor makes the net differential bias to which the manually operable control parts are subject very slight.

This arrangement makes it possible for the manual control to be operated with the greatest ease and at all times maintained in sufficient balance so that it will, without any frictionally restraining devices, tend to remain at any position to which it may be adjusted. This is particularly advantageous where the governor is applied to a motor vehicle of any kind and where substantially complete absence of resistance to manual control is desirable. Since the tension of springs 34 and 38 may be independently varied, and the length of the lever 33 with which spring 34 engages may also be varied, it is possible not only to approach a balance of the spring system above described as a unit, but also, if desired, to oppose it against any spring pressure which may be incorporated elsewhere in the manual control linkage outside of the governor proper, so that the manual control mechanism as a whole will, if desired, tend to retain any adjustment in which it is set. The manual control mechanism as a whole being illustrated only dia grammatically, the exemplification shows the governor spring system treated as a unit so far as the control levers and rock shafts are concerned. As above noted, the ability of the controls to retain their adjustment persists throughout the range of control movement which varies the spring pressure n the governor weights. Not only may the system be made to retain any desired position of manual adjustment but, as will be apparent, if the seating of the governor spring is controlled by an accelerator pedal having a spring return of its own, the relatively light dif ferential bias in the governor proper will have no appreciable or perceptible effect on the functioning of the accelerator pedal.

The governor casing [2 comprises a closed chamber 4| in which the parts of the governor proper are located. A seal is used at 42 where the governor shaft l enters the chamber to prevent the escape of lubricant or the admission of dirt. Communicating with the chamber at the end remote from seal 42, is a cylinder 45 having a closed head 46. Within the cylinder a piston 41 is reciprocable. A fluid pressure line I! which, for the purposes of the present exempliflcation may be understood to come from the oil pump |3, communicates with port 48 in the side wall of the cylinder. A passage 49 formed radially in the piston 41, communicates with port 48 in all piston positions and leads to a port 50 opening to the axial bore 5| in the center of the pis ton in which pilot valve 52 is operable. The pilot valve 52 is tubular throughout most of its length, having an interior opening which serves as a fluid passage and also receives the compression spring 53. To release fluid from its inner end within the chamber 4| of the governor casing l2, the central passage through the pilot valve is vented at 54 within the casing, The spring 53 seats against a plug 55 threaded into the end of the piston to close a chamber 56 with which the pilot valve passage above described communicates. The spring 53 exerts its bias to the right as viewed in Fig. 1 to maintain the pilot valve in engagement at all times with the race 29 of the anti-friction hearing at the end of the governor sleeve 21. Thus, the pilot valve accurately follows the movements of sleeve 27 so that the position of the pilot valve, like that of the sleeve, is a function of the inter-action of the governor weights and the spring 34 which adjustably opposes their operation.

The pilot valve 52 is provided in its side with a by-pass port 51 of such length that its extreme ends register substantially exactly with the walls which form the ends of chamber 56 and port 50 respectively. In other words, the by-pass port 51 communicates normally neither with chamber 56 nor with port 50, but it may communicate with either in the event of the slightest displacement between the pilot valve and the piston. The bypass port 51 is, however, constantly in communication through conduit 58 of the piston with the chamber within the cylinder head 46 of the cylinder so that the pressures to which the piston face is subject are at all times the same as those existing in port 51 of the pilot valve.

The piston 41 has a reduced end portion 59 engaged by the arms of a bifurcated lever 60 (Figs, 2 and 6) which is mounted on the rock shaft 6| which extends completely through the governor casing I2 and at one end carries the lever 2| and at the other end carries the lever 62 with which the biasing spring 63 is engaged. This biasing spring exerts a constant pressure tending to oscillate the rock shaft 6| counterclockwise as viewed in Fig. 2, and thereby to communicate through the arms of the bifurcated lever .60 a bias on piston 41 tending to advance the piston toward the cylinder head 46 against whatever compression exists in the cylinder head chamber to which the face of the piston is exposed.

To define the range through which the manually controlled parts of the device are movable, I provide on the casing l2 at 65 a stop with which the adjustable set screws 66 and 6'! carried by lever l9 are engaged at the two extremes of oscillation of the rock shaft 36.

To minimize shock vibration and hunting" of through pipe ,ll

the governor weights, I prefer to provide one of the armed the bifurcated lever 30 with a laterally extending pad 10 which is shown in 'Figsrfi and-7 and which, as the governor weights move toward their-extreme high speed position, is caused to strike the cushion spring 1| adjustably supported on the spool 32 threaded through the wall of the governor casing l2.

#The device operates as follows: The prime mover to which the shaft H is connected being in operation, the centrifugal force acting on governor weights '25 tends to throw these out radially to advance the governor sleeve 23! to the left as viewed in Fig. 2. Such movement of the sleeve is, however, opposed by the rock shaft 3| and the spring 34' with a variable resistance determined by the manually positioned rock shaft 36 It has already been explained how the spring pressures on the rock shaft 36 are adjusted to allowthe manually operable portion of the system to retain its adjustment or to retain. a sufficiently close balance so that no appreciable change in bias will .be noted inoperation, despite the variation intension ofspringt l necessary to the adjustmentof the governor. This is done by using a light spring at 34 and byconnecting to therock shaft another spring opposed to spring 34 and of a similar nature and opposite in bias and direction of tension.

Fluid pressurelderived in the present exemplification from the fuel pump l3 of the prime mover) is constantly being communicated to'the cyl.

inder 45 through pipe H, but is not effective uponthe piston. until some displacement of the pilot valve with respect to port Siloccurs. When the centrifugal forcev exerted on the governor weight 25 finally becomes. adequate to oscillate shaft 3| through the bifurcated lever 30, the same movement, of sleeve 2l which effects such oscillation alsopmoves the pilot valve 52 to the left as viewed in Fig.2. This displaces the by-pass duct 51 sufficiently to aiford communication between the cylinder head ,chamber through passage 58 of the piston. and chamber 56 of the piston, and the interior of the pilot valve with the interior-of the governor casing l2. Under pressure of the biasing spring 63 as communicated through rock shaft 6| and bifurcated lever 60, the piston 41 promptly moves to the left as viewed in Fig. 2, .displacing fluid (in this case, oil) from the head of the cylinder into the governor casing, where the fluid escapes through pipe IB (in this case back to the engine sump. I4). sufficiently to equal the movement of the pilot valve, the communication between the cylinder head and. the. governor casing through the port 51. will be cutoff. The piston will, therefore, be

' moved exactly in accordance with the movement of the pilot valve.

When the slowing of the rotation of shaft ll allows the governor weights to return under bias of spring 34 toward the positions illustrated in Fig. 2, the movement of governor sleeve 21 to the right will be followed by the pilot valve 52 under bias of its spring 53, This movement will cause the by-pass portfil to aiford communication between cylinder port 50 and passage 58 of the piston, thereby admitting to the cylinder head pressure (in this. case', oil pressure) communicated from the oil pump. This pressure will cause the piston to move to the right, following the movement of the valve, until the by-pass port 51 again fails to register with piston port .511, whereupon the pressure is cut off. Thus,

regardless of the direction in which-the pilot valve As soon as the piston moves prime mover is moved in a means axially movable for is moved, the pistonwi-ll follow exactly, according as the by-pass port 51 relieves the piston 41 of pressure or subjects it to pressure. Since the spring 63 may be strong enough to exert on the piston a pressure onlysli'ghtly less than that exerted by the oil pump, or other source of pressure, it will be apparent is available for the oscillation of arm 21 to actuate the speed control 23 of the prime mover. In the particular arrangement shown, the connections are such that when the governor. weights 25 :move outwardly the speed control lever 23 is moved in a clockwise direction by the bias of spring :63 whereas, when the governor weights move inwardly the speed control lever 23 of the counter-clockwise direction by fluid pressure acting on the head of the piston 41.

I claim:

l. The combination with a rotor and a pilot valve in axial alignment, of governor controlled actuating said pilot valve in one direction, a piston having a bore through which the pilot valve extends, elastic means seated between the piston and pilot valve and biasing the pilot valve from the piston into engagement with said governor controlled means, pressure and relief means including piston openings controlled by said pilot valve for admitting and releasing pressure with respect to the face -of the piston, a cylinder in which said piston opcrates, and actuating. connections having portions disposed in the path of piston movement to receive motion therefrom. 2. A governor. casing having an aligned cylinder and bearing in combination with a piston reciprocable in the cylinder, a rotor operable in the bearing, governor weights carried by the rotor, an axially movable part connected with the governor weights, means for varying the resistance of such part to movement, a pilot valve engaged by said part said piston having a bore in which the pilot valveis reciprocable, elastic means interposed between the piston and valve and biasing-said valve from said piston into engagement'with said part, means biasing said piston for movement in said cylinder, pressure and relief means including pressure and relief passages formed in said piston and opening to said bore, and a third passage, formed in said piston and opening from the head thereof to said'bore intermediate said pressure and relief passages and affording communication subject to control of said valve, between said pressure and relief passages and said cylinder beyond the piston,

said pilot valve controlling communication of and a shaft-journaled in one end thereof, of a cylinder in axial alignment with the shaft, a piston reciprocable in the cylinder axially of the shaft and provided with a central bore and three openings communicating with said bore and with a passage leading from the intermediate opening to the head of the piston, a pressure conduit communicating through the cylinder with another of said openings, a tubular duct through itscenter communicating with the third piston opening, said pilot valve having aby-passport registering with the intermediate that considerable power pilot valve having a relief piston opening and normally just out of communication with the pressure and relief openings of the piston, whereby any movement of the pilot valve in any direction will place the piston head in communication alternatively with the pressure and relief openings, a spring provided with. a seat on thepiston and engaging the pilotvalve in' a direction to bias said pilot valve outwardly from the piston, a bifurcated lever having legs between which the pilot valve extends, saidlegs engaging the piston, a rock shaft upon which said lever is mounted-said rock shaft providing an actuator and a biasing spring exerting pressure through the rock shaft and lever upon the piston, a sleeve reciprocaible axially of the shaft and having bearing means engaged by the pilot valve, governor weights operatively mounted upon the shaft and provided with connections to the sleeve for the reciprocation thereof in accordance with the outward movement of the weights, a second bifurcated lever having legs engaged through said bearing means with said sleeve for the biasing of said weights therethrough, a'rock shaft upon which said second bifurcated lever means is mounted, spring means acting on said rock shaft for the oscillationthereof in a direction to bias saidgovernor weights against outward movement, and means for manually adjusting the rock shaft.

4. In a governor, the combination with a casing provided at one end with a cylinder and at the other end with bearings in. axial alignment with the cylinder, of a shaft rotatably mounted in the bearings and provided internally of the casing with governor weights, a sleeve reciprocable axially of the shaft and operatively connected with the governor weights to receive motion therefrom for its reciprocation, bearing means connected with the sleeve, a rock shaft at one side of the sleeve provided with lever means engaging the bearing means, a spring biasing the rock. shaft and lever means in a direction against said sleeve to oppose the outward movement of the governor weights, means for adjusting the bias to which the rock shaft is subject, a piston reciprocable in the cylinder and provided with a central bore, a pilot valve .reciprocable in the bore of the piston, a compression spring within the pilot valve bearing upon the piston and bias ing the pilot valve into engagement with the bearing means whereby said pilot valve will follow the bearing means in accordance with movement of the governor weights, a second rock shaft at the opposite side of the casing from the rock shaft first mentioned and provided with lever means engaging the end of the piston beside the pilot valve, means biasing thev second rock shaft in a direction to urge said piston outwardly in said cylinder, a power output lever connected with said second rock shaft for the delivery of governor movement, and hydraulic communication ducts, passages, and ports in the cylinder, pilot valve, and piston, for the movement of the piston subject to the control of the pilot valve.

5. The device of claim 4 in which the cylinder is provided with a pressure inlet port and the piston has a radial passage leading therefrom to a first piston port opening to the pilot valve bore, the piston having a passage leading from its head and an intermediate port opening to said bore with which said passage communicates, said piston also having an interior chamber beneath its head opening to said pilotvalve bore and said pilot valve having a relief duct opening longitudinally of the pilot valve from the chamberlast mentioned into the casing exteriorly of th cylinder and both provided with a port, the length of which registers at all times with said intermediate port and barely fails normally of communication either with said chamber or the piston port first mentioned, whereby any displacement of the pilot valve in either direction respecting the piston will afford communication alternatively between the intermediate port and either the piston port first mentioned or the relief chamber of the piston.

- 6. The device of claim 4 inwhich the lever means engaging the bearing means of said sleeve is provided with means for cushioning and damping its movement as it approaches an extreme position in the outward movement of the governor legs.

7. In a governor, the combination with a casing and a shaft rotatablymounted therein, of a cylinder closed at its end and: comprising an outward extension of the casing in substantial alignment with the shaft, governor weights mounted on the shaft to turn therewith, a speed responsive part operatively connected for actuation by said weights axially of the shaft, a headed piston reciprocable in the cylinder to and from the closed outer end thereof and provided with a bore approximately parallel to said shaft and opening toward the casing, a tulbular pilot valve reciprocable in' the bore, a spring within the pilot valve seated at its outer end against the head of the piston and at its innerend provided with a seat upon said valve, the interior of said pilot valve communicating with said casing, a pressure supply line leading to said cylinder, said cylinder having a lateral opening to which said line. is connected, the piston having a generally radial pressure duct communicating with said opening and leading toward said bore and also having a relief passage opening from said bore about the end of the pilot valve and also having a passage leading to the end of the cylinder from a point in said bore intermediate the passages first mentioned, the pilot valve having transfer means adjustable in the relative movement of the valve respecting the pistons to afford alternative communication between the passage last mentioned and the pressure and relief passages aforesaid.

' 8. In a governor, the combination with a cylin der closed at its end and a speed responsive part movalble in a direction axial respecting the cylinder, of a piston reciproca'ble in the cylinder, a

pilot valve likewise reciprocable axially of the cylinder and in bearing contact with the piston, said pilot valve being in thrust relation to said part to receive motion therefrom, a spring seated against said piston and against said valve whereby said valve is biased toward said part and said piston is biased toward the head of the cylinder, and pressure and relief connections controlled by the relative positions of the valve and piston for actuating the piston in accordance with the positionof said part, said cylinder piston and pilot valve having coacting ports and passages with which said connections communicate.

9. The device of claim 8 in further comlbination with a spring biased member acting directly upon said part independentlyof said pilot valve and in the same direction in which said partis engaged by said pilot valve under the thrust of the aforesaid spring. I

10. The device'of claim 8 in further combinationwith a pair of rock shafts each subject tobias, one of said rock shafts having an arm en- I gaged with said part to oppose movement thereof toward said cylinder and the other of said rock i said cylinder whereby the bias of said rock shafts is exerted in opposite directions and piston.

11.'In a. device of the character described, a servomotor comprising the combination with a casing containing a sump, and a cylinder closed at its end and constituting an extension of said casing awayfrom the sump, of a supply connection opening through a side of the cylinder toward the interior thereof, a piston reciprocable in the cylinder and having a generally radial pressure duct in coimmmication with said connection and a central 'bore to which said duct leads, and an axial communicating duct opening upon said Part from the face of the piston and extending axially thereof to an intermediate point in said here, said piston having a counter 'bore constituting an enlargement of the bore first mentioned, a plug in the head of the piston closing vthe counter bore and providing a spring seat, a pilot valve reciprocable in the piston bore and having a drain conduit, a compression spring seated against said plug and against said pilot valve, said drain conduit leading from the counter lbore of said piston to said sump, and governor means in the casing acting axially upon the to said spring, said pilot valve having a peripheral bias conduit selectively afiording communication between the communication duct of the piston and the pressure duct and counter bore respectively.

' JOHN H. HOLLOWAY.

pilot valve in opposition 

